Crimson {The Purge: Anarchy}

The 7th Hour

The 7th Hour

He’s there. Right there. Spitting distance and yet I did not have the audacity to launch from my hiding place and kill him. What was holding me back? Fear? Of what, dying? Pfft, it had to be more elaborate than that. It was.

He mentioned my boyfriend. Does this mean Damien is alive and was held captive? Interrogated in his wounded state to tell them about my motives? I did not feel betrayed by Damien because I did leave him without a second glance. If anything I deserved to be outed. But how did they find out about Damien so fast and what happened to him afterwards? I gulped.

I had never felt so conflicted in my entire life. Suddenly, the red war paint I had on was not enough to conceal the anguish within me. I want him dead. The masked man. My fingers secured around the trigger of my gun and I aimed it carefully at his head. He was loitering in front of the costume store, walky-talky in hand. His back is to me so this gives me the perfect opportunity to attack.

I quietly removed myself from the racks of costumes and in the dark I crept closer to my target. If he turned around I had a chance at hiding behind the counter, the only problem with that would be the noise my body would cause when crashing into the corner. He will obviously know someone’s here.

Determined not to get caught, I stealthily itched closer to him, closing in on the two metre distance. Come on, Elle. Don’t hesitate, just shoot him. Do it.

“I assume she’s around these parts, but she wouldn’t make herself obvious. She’s a smart one. Her boyfriend said she’s in the Red Bandanna uniform except her face is in full view. Also, she was seen travelling with a man in a black turtleneck, concealing his face. I doubt she makes friends fast but the fact that they worked together in gassing the SkullKeepers indicate some sort of alliance. Perhaps, they are finding me.”

I froze and watched him talk, the gun was still aimed at his head but I didn’t pull the trigger.

Why not?

Maybe I wanted to hear the person on the other end of the line. Maybe I wanted to know who this guy was working for and shooting him now would only alert his employer. Maybe a part of me restrained itself due to that logic. Or maybe I suddenly realised how much danger I was in.

They’re after me.

But he said he wanted me alive, for what? A tea party? My lips quivered. Not in fear, but in frustration. How could I just stand here posed with a gun, slathered in war paint and not be able to pull the trigger. I didn’t have a problem with killing the man in the alleyway or the guy that tried to rape me.

This masked man is no different. He murdered my father.

But Hendricks’s words stayed with me. “They all killed him!” he had told me. It was true. All the gang members joined forces to publically execute my father and yet…my vengeance was aimed at one guy.

I slowly lowered the gun and backed away to hide behind the counter again. I listened intently, waiting for him to say something else but I heard nothing. Once I thought he left I got up from my crouched position when a lighter was thrown into the costume store. It landed on one of the racks and because the material of the costume was synthetic, it burned easily. No need for gasoline.

Shit.

I needed to get the fuck out when I saw him. He stood there, mask facing the store, head cocked to the side.

"I saw you. Now get the fuck out and show yourself or burn.”

Fuck.

My eyes scanned the burning rack. The fire hasn’t spread yet but in a few seconds it will. But if I run outside, he’s going to kill me. Unless I reveal to him that I am the girl he’s looking for. My hands gripped a gun in one hand and a knife in the other. Not entirely sure if I can take him down as I am unaware of his fighting style.

“Time is running out!” he called.

Argh, screw it. I started firing at him. My bullets penetrated the glass windows, open space but one of them hit the walky-talky. Yes! This seemed to take him by surprise. He exchanged gunfire. I aligned my back against the doorframe and breathed. A bullet grazed my right arm. I gasped.

“Come on out! Show me what you got!” he taunted. Gosh, I just wanted to rip that mask off and stab in the throat.

I stormed out and tried to strike him with the knife, the pointed end almost dug into his eye if he hadn’t grabbed my wrist in time. He dropped his gun in doing so. I released my gun as well and tried to put all my strength in that knife.

“You want to stab me in the eye huh? Didn’t think Red Bandannas use that killing method or wear war paint for that matter.” He applied pressure on my wrist and the knife clattered on the ground. He pulled me closer, his mask was a breath away from my face. “Your wrist is too small to be man’s.” He whispered in my ear.

I stomped on his foot and untangled myself from his grasp. I then charged at him again but with whip kicks and knuckle-grazing punches. He deflected some of it but I could tell that one of my kicks had contact with his solar flux. He heaved a bit before releasing a growl.

Now he’s angry.

He tried to grab me and pin me down but I thrashed about and almost tore off his mask. He then resorted to pulling me by my hair and strangled me with his forearm. His tensed muscles crushed my throat. I kicked the air and screamed out in defiance.

He dragged me away.

“It really is too bad,” he muttered between breaths. He was yanking me by hair and neck, my ankles were grazing against the gravel.  All I could make out is the burning costume store illuminating his dangerous grip on me. A tear slid down my face. It cannot end like this.

My body throbbed and I was unable to devise a plan of escape. This guy knows how to handle his victims from years of experience.

He’s a professional Purger.

“You should just kill me now.” I said through gritted teeth. He laughed once before tossing me into what seemed like the boot of a car.

His white mask glared down on me, his head tilted again.

“You shouldn’t surrender to death…but to a purger it’s different because it would be a generous favour to die in order to save one’s sanity. But then again what is sanity?” and with that he shut the boot of the car and the engine roared.

A/N

7th Hour – So close to shooting the masked man, got run out of a burning costume shop, had a street fight with the enemy before being kidnapped.

Hey guys I hope you liked this short chapter, tell me what you think also I am going overseas on the 26th of November so updates will cease until I get back.